The Pancreas

Pancreatic Cancer Treatment London

About the Pancreas

The pancreas is a glandular organ that secretes digestive enzymes and hormones. The pancreas is a yellowish organ about 6 inches (15cm) long and 1 inch. (3cm) wide, it lies across the back of the abdomen, just above the level of the belly button.

The function of the pancreas is:

The pancreas produces a fluid (pancreatic juice) that flows down a tiny tube (the pancreatic duct) in the centre of the pancreas into your intestines. Pancreatic juice helps to digest the food that you eat so that protein, fat and sugar (carbohydrate) can be taken up into the blood stream and used for energy.

The pancreas also produces a hormone called insulin which controls the amount of sugar in your blood. Insulin and glucagon are secreted directly into the bloodstream, and together, they regulate the level of glucose in the blood. Insulin lowers the blood sugar level and increases the amount of glucagon (stored carbohydrate) in the liver.

Glucagon slowly increases the blood sugar level if it falls too low. If the insulin secreting cells do not work properly, diabetes occurs.